 Written by Brian Halcomb.
The midpoint of his second NFL season affords an excellent time to check in Vince Young. Especially following a 42 yard passing game flop last week, many questions remain about Young’s NFL success. How has he progressed? Is he fighting off the Sophomore Jinx or Madden Curse? Smells of superstardom or marching towards mediocrity?
2007 Stats:
745 yards passing, 3TD, 6Int, 61.7 completion percentage
140 yards rushing, 1TD, 3.6YPC
5-2 Record
Analysis: Young continues to invite the designation of erratic winner, both in his performance and his off-the-field demeanor. For the first time in his career, his "inVINCEibility" may be up for question (note him standing alone on the sidelines, bum leg, during the end of the Texans game and responding defensively to reporters). Yet while Young continues to put up Halloween-frightening yards per game, he seems to retain his teammates’ trust and the respect of opponents. When assessing Young, one notices that he has yet to find a go-to receiver (something Kerry Collins seemed able to do in his one start), and still remains confused in the pocket. However, 20 starts into his NFL career, Young is an impressive 13-7 on a young team filled with holes, especially at the aforementioned Wide Receiver position. The “it” of the Longhorn Vince and Vince.2006 still remains this year, albeit not in gaudy statistics but in W’s that have the Titans talking playoffs.
One need not look outside of the Titans own team history to find the most appropriate comparison to Young: the early Steve McNair. When McNair began, he was a run-first quarterback, and the team passing yardage totals ranked 29th, 18th, 18th, and 18th in his first four years as a starter. As his career progressed, he became a more effective passer – yet the 1999-2000 Super Bowl team and the other excellent Titan teams made their identity through a solid run game and defense, not through the air. Note McNair’s favorite target: h-back Frank Wycheck.
People ought to see Young’s upside in the same vain. On a Jeff Fisher team that finally seems to have rebuilt a strong running game, Young is meant to be a winner, not a record-breaker. He should steadily improve his stats over the next few years; keep in mind, McNair had almost two years before he ever took the reigns. Young is at the age where most quarterbacks are still clueless. The guy will never be a 30 TD passer. But during the second half of 2007, look to see if he can develop some consistency with a receiver (most likely WR Roydell Williams or TE Bo Scaife). Mark that he continue winning games and stay healthy. Note that his completion percentage this year is already 10 points higher than last year. These small steps mark the maturity of a QB who will have a long, proud career. If one sees Vince for who he is, not who he is not, visions of Madden Curse fade.
UPSIDE: McNair↑ DOWNSIDE: Jake Plummer↓
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